Stan and Friends

You Tuber Rory Greth visits NY and Stan to talk cars, smoking meats and more

The youngest guest to date flew back to his hometown for the holidays, and I had a chance to catch up with 13-year-old Rory Greth, who currently has three YouTube channels under his name with more than 36,000 views. https://www.youtube.com/@MRSmokehouse [https://www.youtube.com/@MRSmokehouse] https://www.youtube.com/@RorysGarage  [https://www.youtube.com/@RorysGarage] https://www.youtube.com/@NYPlates [https://www.youtube.com/@NYPlates] Rory and I go way back.... in fact... to his birth.  There is a lot of family history shared as I kick off 2026 with this impressive young man. We talked about when I worked for his grandfather, joked about his father, my first godson, and offered a lot of shoutouts to the rest of the family.  It's a holiday podcast with a lot of laughs, a lot of family talk, and how hot Arkansas really is for Rory, a Ballston Spa native. He hasn't disappointed any of us for the past 13 years, and I guarantee that he didn't on his first visit on the Stan and Friends Show podcast.

Daily Gazette Brew Brawl finals announced

Daily Gazette Pint-Sized writer John Norris talks about the final match-up for the inaugural Brew Brawl showdown in the Capital Region. From a tasty bracket of 16 breweries, we are down to the final two - and every vote counts! It is a battle of East vs. West - Stump City Brewery, representing Fulton County vs. perennial powerhouse Wolf Hollow Brewing, representing Schenectady County. John has visited both locations, sampled their beers and talks about his favorites. The two also brainstormed about a NEW feature to bring to the Pint-Sized segment of the show.

Sydney Worthley headlines Schenectady County Holiday Parade

Sydney Worthley is a Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Award winner, a talented singer/songwriter/musician, and I am fortunate enough to call her a friend of the podcast. She is making a triumphant return to Schenectady this Saturday after performing at Freedom Park in the summer heat in 2024, taking the stage to open up this year's Summer Night on State Street, and she will own the stage, highlighting the 56th annual Schenectady County Holiday Parade block party at 3 p.m. I caught up with Sydney on the eve of the holiday parade to talk about her travels, her set list for the block party, what she is working on, along with a few laughs about the holiday and the Schenectady County Holiday Parade

Mrs. Claus talks about the Schenectady County Holiday Parade

Just before you see the star of the 56th annual Schenectady County Holiday Parade, you will see the other half of the Christmas Spirit duo, Mrs. Claus. I had a chance to talk to the fantastic Mrs. Claus after she put the finishing touches on the Daily Gazette Santa parade float earlier in the week with help from the Daily Gazette Newspaper mascot, 'Newsie'. She talked about the upcoming parade, the importance of being Mrs. Claus and what the parade means to her as it kicks off the holiday season. Mrs. Claus is not a solo act as the elves' ensemble has expanded for this year's parade. Mrs. Claus also has a special place in her heart and spoke about the importance of the sensory room at Proctors GE Theater. Even Mrs. Claus has a list for Christmas - a request from block party musical guest Sydney Worthley - for her and her elves.

Schenectady County Holiday Parade title sponsor MVP along with Cathy Gatta's return

The 56th annual Schenectady County Holiday Parade is right around the corner, and I had the opportunity to talk to two of the movers and shakers who helped create this great event before the big guy, Santa himself, rides down State Street Saturday night. MVP senior relationship manager Jackie Marciniak stopped by the podcast studio to talk about her company's role in the annual event, along with her own history of watching the largest nighttime parade in the Northeast. She was followed by Schenectady County Legislature Vice Chair Kathy Gatta, who is no stranger to the podcast studio and shared some of the work that goes on behind the scenes, along with more than a few laughs.